What do you think?
Rate this book
The Inconceivable Life of Quinn
Quinn Cutler is sixteen and the daughter of a high-profile Brooklyn politician. She’s also pregnant, a crisis made infinitely more shocking by the fact that she has no memory of ever having sex. Before Quinn can solve this deeply troubling mystery, her story becomes public. Rumors spread, jeopardizing her reputation, her relationship with a boyfriend she adores, and her father’s campaign for Congress. Religious fanatics gather at the Cutlers’ home, believing Quinn is a virgin, pregnant with the next messiah. Quinn’s desperate search for answers uncovers lies and family secrets—strange, possibly supernatural ones. Might she, in fact, be a virgin?
Unknown Binding
First published April 4, 2017
15 people are currently reading
1826 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
July 26, 2017
This book was just mehhh like and my brain shut down after 50% because SO BORING, SO MUCH USELESS INFO, CRAP CHARACTERS, LACKING PERSONALITY, ERGH. I nearly DNF’d the thing but alas I just decided to skim read most the pages because I was nearly done anyway. I wasn’t expecting it to have magical realism and would have been fine with it if it was done in a good way, the realism sucked, the characters, sucked, the story was boring and just repetitive, everything could have been condensed right down.For a book that was supposed to talk about teenage pregnancy it really didn’t go into it, I mean maybe if you were impregnated by the ocean you could relate? You do you.
1/5 stars
Thank you net galley for a free copy in exchange for a honest review
1/5 stars
Thank you net galley for a free copy in exchange for a honest review
September 30, 2017
16-year old Quinn Cutler has spent the summer feeling sluggish. But when her mom finally drags her to the doctor, the impossible is discovered: Quinn is 3 months pregnant. Pregnant, despite never having had intercourse or any intimate-enough contact with her boyfriend, Jesse. WTF?!WTF pretty much sums up this whole book.
It's not a bad book by any means. But it is a mess, with a major identity crisis as it can't quite decide what it's trying to say or do.
I was intrigued by the jacket copy, which promises family secrets and possible supernatural influences. But most of the story is treated as a straightforward contemporary novel, with only the most microscopic hints at anything paranormal until the last quarter. If I hadn't read the official blurb immediately before starting the book, I wouldn't have had my eyes open for those hints and would have missed them completely, as many other readers have. Other postulations about what might have happened to Quinn are much better emphasized: Was she raped at a party? Does her family have a history of child abuse when she was a little kid, and has it perhaps continued while she's learned to dissociate from it? Why does her father constantly accuse her of lying? About what?
Then there are a few other threads that don't add much to the story. Quinn's father is running for Congress, so finding himself with a pregnant teen daughter creates major awkwardness. (I will give credit that the author's satirical tone in talking about celebrity media coverage was spot-on and very entertaining.) Meanwhile, Quinn's insistence that she's a virgin attracts Christian cults, members of which hang around outside her home day and night. Half of them think she's blessed, bringing the next messiah into the world. The other half believe her baby must be demon-spawn. The book features short POV inserts from people with both interpretations ... but, why? These characters aren't really very important, and seeing through their eyes seemed entirely unnecessary to me.
There are other sidebar-type POV inserts from characters other than Quinn, but again, none of them really build the plot. They just add words, in a book that is, IMO, about 100 pages too long. Wow, does this have a leisurely pace. There's so much in this book, with every angle of virgin pregnancy and its implications discussed to some degree, but weirdly, none of that exploration adds up to much. There just isn't any depth.
The writing style didn't help me, either. The narration is in close third person, but it doesn't feel close. All this stuff is happening to Quinn, but I never felt really engaged with her. The way the story is told lacks intensity. I could see the intensity, but I rarely felt it. Everything about Quinn felt strangely passive, even though she was doing things and seeking answers all the time.
Then, at long (long, long) last, the story finally gets, more or less, to the "truth" of how Quinn was impregnated (I put that in quotes because the possibilities are still left open-ended, and let's face it, if you think about science and biology etc., it IS "inconceivable.") So the "truth" is:
The ending-ending shows Quinn coming to grips with forgotten elements of her childhood, and realizing that all her family's lies to her in response to what they thought were her lies to them were a form of love (again, WTF?!). She finally feels not-wrong for the first time in her life, and regains being a normal teenager, with a still-devoted true-love boyfriend. That's a lot of colorful ribbons and bows trying to pretty up this package.
This book has got a very unusual premise and was incredibly ambitious. There's definitely food for thought here, and for heated book discussions. But after a day to think about that ending, I have to two-star it, because I just can't support a story that presents involuntary impregnation as a happy event, or feel good about how this book treats the ocean. I really wish all the elements in this story came together better and felt more satisfying and less disturbing, and that I'd felt more a part of Quinn while I was reading it.
February 7, 2017
This was such a strange book. Mostly in a good way but it was also in a not so good way. I thought the
synopsis was incredibly interesting and I really, really wanted to know what happened and I lowkey needed to know how Quinn became pregnant. I got a bit of a Unbecoming of Mara Dyer vibe from this book so if you loved Mara Dyer, you might love The Inconceivable Life of Quinn as well.
I'm not a huge fan of magical realism. I didn't expect magical realism in this book so that was kind of out of left field for me. It came a little late in the book for me to adjust to it and it just didn't hit me right.
I did really love the writing style. I thought it was really well written so the writing was my favorite thing about The Inconceivable Life of Quinn.
Overall, the writing was great but the magical realism just wasn't for me. I think this is a really cool book and a lot of people, especially fans of Mara Dyer, will really enjoy it.
synopsis was incredibly interesting and I really, really wanted to know what happened and I lowkey needed to know how Quinn became pregnant. I got a bit of a Unbecoming of Mara Dyer vibe from this book so if you loved Mara Dyer, you might love The Inconceivable Life of Quinn as well.
I'm not a huge fan of magical realism. I didn't expect magical realism in this book so that was kind of out of left field for me. It came a little late in the book for me to adjust to it and it just didn't hit me right.
I did really love the writing style. I thought it was really well written so the writing was my favorite thing about The Inconceivable Life of Quinn.
Overall, the writing was great but the magical realism just wasn't for me. I think this is a really cool book and a lot of people, especially fans of Mara Dyer, will really enjoy it.
May 19, 2017
I normally hate giving two star reviews, but almost everything about “The Inconceivable Life of Quinn” rubbed me the wrong way.
The main problem for me was Quinn herself. I didn’t find her at all likable. Instead she was irritating and kind of full of herself. Her father made me want to punch things. The plot wore thin about 75 pages before the book ended and it was an unsatisfying conclusion.
I appreciate the hard work the author put into this, and wish her luck in her future writing, but I just can’t recommend this one.
This unbiased review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.
The main problem for me was Quinn herself. I didn’t find her at all likable. Instead she was irritating and kind of full of herself. Her father made me want to punch things. The plot wore thin about 75 pages before the book ended and it was an unsatisfying conclusion.
I appreciate the hard work the author put into this, and wish her luck in her future writing, but I just can’t recommend this one.
This unbiased review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher.
October 21, 2016
Mind blown! I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't that. This story has a bit of a Mara Dyer feel to it where you're not entirely sure if the narrator is telling the truth or if she's completely lost her mind. It twists and turns in crazy ways and ended up going in a direction I did not see coming. This was brilliant, beautiful, and heartbreaking all at the same time.
March 21, 2017
My brain doesn't know how it should feel right now. This was utterly weird, yet utterly compelling. Supernatural style elements, grounded in reality. Might take me a while to figure out how I really feel, as it ends rather abruptly and with no definitive answers.
February 5, 2017
Loved, loved, loved this book. Full of mystery and the complicated love of family, of the endurance of legends and magic of nature. I love Quinn's quiet strength and the relationship she shares with Jesse.
It brought back the feelings I had reading the magical realism classics of my youth, and brought them into a contemporary light. Beautifully written, leaves you thinking and smiling. Loved it.
It brought back the feelings I had reading the magical realism classics of my youth, and brought them into a contemporary light. Beautifully written, leaves you thinking and smiling. Loved it.
March 18, 2017
This took a little while to get going, and the trajectory was a bit wobbly, but I really liked the focus on tabloid trashiness and magical realism that I wasn't expecting! Intriguing in a way that gives you all the answers and none at all...
March 5, 2017
I've been reading a lot of books lately that have this thing where they decide not to give you a solution to their plot line, even though they have potentially good elements. Add this to the list of potentially good books that let me down for just such a reason, as well as disappointing writing.
I thought that the premise sounded good, but that the writing left a lot to be desired. I found myself skimming large portions of it because the writing was very dull. I wanted to rip my hair out from how slow things were going. The fact that I could skim these bits and still follow the story line proved to me how superfluous they really were. The multiple points of view did not help with this problem. They felt really extraneous because there were so many of them: Quinn, her father, her boyfriend, a potential hookup, one or two of the believers that flock to her doorstep, etc. It's unusual to have so many points of view that work successfully; I can only think of one instance (Sandy Hall's A Little Something Different - 15 different points of view and it was fun!). In The Inconceivable Life of Quinn, they all felt like too many voices pulling at what little plot there was and stretching it even thinner.
The book also felt like it was conflicted as to it's identity. Primarily written as a novel that takes place in a strictly realistic setting, there were magical realism elements that didn't get introduced in-depth until too late. Was this intentional or was it an unconscious switch? It felt like a roller coaster jerk in storytelling styles in a somewhat unpleasant manner.
The mythology of the Deeps sounded like it could have been really neat if it had been developed as an actual real thing, rather than something that might or might not have been real and that 95% of the characters thought was just a children's story.
The ending was murky, as we never get a solution to the primary questions of the novel, something that has been infuriating me lately with novels. There are huge setups and no payoffs in the end? That amped up the feeling of frustration I was experiencing through the book. I don't think I'll be trying any more of this author's work because, while her idea might have sounded appealing, the execution of it was not to my liking and would push something potentially more worthy further down or completely off my TBR list.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I thought that the premise sounded good, but that the writing left a lot to be desired. I found myself skimming large portions of it because the writing was very dull. I wanted to rip my hair out from how slow things were going. The fact that I could skim these bits and still follow the story line proved to me how superfluous they really were. The multiple points of view did not help with this problem. They felt really extraneous because there were so many of them: Quinn, her father, her boyfriend, a potential hookup, one or two of the believers that flock to her doorstep, etc. It's unusual to have so many points of view that work successfully; I can only think of one instance (Sandy Hall's A Little Something Different - 15 different points of view and it was fun!). In The Inconceivable Life of Quinn, they all felt like too many voices pulling at what little plot there was and stretching it even thinner.
The book also felt like it was conflicted as to it's identity. Primarily written as a novel that takes place in a strictly realistic setting, there were magical realism elements that didn't get introduced in-depth until too late. Was this intentional or was it an unconscious switch? It felt like a roller coaster jerk in storytelling styles in a somewhat unpleasant manner.
The mythology of the Deeps sounded like it could have been really neat if it had been developed as an actual real thing, rather than something that might or might not have been real and that 95% of the characters thought was just a children's story.
The ending was murky, as we never get a solution to the primary questions of the novel, something that has been infuriating me lately with novels. There are huge setups and no payoffs in the end? That amped up the feeling of frustration I was experiencing through the book. I don't think I'll be trying any more of this author's work because, while her idea might have sounded appealing, the execution of it was not to my liking and would push something potentially more worthy further down or completely off my TBR list.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 17, 2016
This book was bizarre. I wish it had committed to magical realism earlier on, instead of being written predominately realistically.
October 8, 2018
This book was odd. Way too many open plot threads, but an interesting premise.
January 7, 2017
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
4.5 Stars
Okay, so this is kind of an odd book. Not odd bad, just… hard to put my finger on how exactly to describe it.
16 year old Quinn is pregnant and has no recollection of ever having had sex. Sure she’s messed around with her boyfriend, but nothing that could result in a baby! But there she was, pregnant.
This book follows Quinn throughout the nine months of her pregnancy while she tries to figure out when and how she ended up pregnant. She’s convinced it was rape and she has blocked any memory of the event. Until she discovers a secret about her grandmother.
I seriously can’t say much else about what happens without spoiling the story! I can say that I could not put this book down. I devoured it. I needed to know what happened next. At 76% I updated my reading progress on Goodreads with: “I still have no clue where this is going! And I’m loving it!” and my final thoughts were: “Wow! What a beautiful book.”
The only negative I have about this one aren’t really negatives about the story, just personal hatred for Quinn’s father. He just rubbed me the wrong way. I liked the rest of the family, but her dad is kind of a jerk.
So, I guess I’ll just tell you to give this book a chance and go into it with an open mind and be prepared for ambiguity.
4.5 Stars
Okay, so this is kind of an odd book. Not odd bad, just… hard to put my finger on how exactly to describe it.
16 year old Quinn is pregnant and has no recollection of ever having had sex. Sure she’s messed around with her boyfriend, but nothing that could result in a baby! But there she was, pregnant.
This book follows Quinn throughout the nine months of her pregnancy while she tries to figure out when and how she ended up pregnant. She’s convinced it was rape and she has blocked any memory of the event. Until she discovers a secret about her grandmother.
I seriously can’t say much else about what happens without spoiling the story! I can say that I could not put this book down. I devoured it. I needed to know what happened next. At 76% I updated my reading progress on Goodreads with: “I still have no clue where this is going! And I’m loving it!” and my final thoughts were: “Wow! What a beautiful book.”
The only negative I have about this one aren’t really negatives about the story, just personal hatred for Quinn’s father. He just rubbed me the wrong way. I liked the rest of the family, but her dad is kind of a jerk.
So, I guess I’ll just tell you to give this book a chance and go into it with an open mind and be prepared for ambiguity.
May 19, 2017
The inconceivable life of Quinn lidia con embarazos adolescentes, la fe y la familia con un trasfondo interesante. Independientemente de que te quedes con respuestas sin resolver, merece la pena darle una oportunidad.
Reseña completa en THE BEST READ YET BLOG
Reseña completa en THE BEST READ YET BLOG
August 11, 2017
This book was thoroughly disappointing, and I'm going to be bitter about it for a while. I'm actually going to change my rating from 1.5 rounded up and round down instead, so the rating in my
Review is incorrect. You can read my full review here https://skysreadingcorner.wordpress.c...
Review is incorrect. You can read my full review here https://skysreadingcorner.wordpress.c...
March 26, 2017
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication. A really interesting idea, and elements of this were worthy of a higher rating but some aspects made it feel less successful for me.
Quinn is sixteen and learns, in spite of being a virgin, that she is pregnant. This causes problems for her father, who is running for Congress, and we follow Quinn as she tries to work out exactly what happened.
We are led to believe that Quinn has some mystical connection to The Deeps, the spirits living in the ocean. She spends the book trying to work out (as most logically think) whether she could have been raped but becomes more and more drawn to this otherworldly suggestion.
There were some wonderful passages within the book, and Quinn herself was an interesting character. Unfortunately, there were a lot of characters within the story - some of whom were not really relevant to events - and some aspects of it were awfully slow. I felt the suggested answer could have come sooner, and the lack of engagement from her father regarding this suggested the author wasn't totally sure how to present the idea in a wholly convincing manner.
Quinn is sixteen and learns, in spite of being a virgin, that she is pregnant. This causes problems for her father, who is running for Congress, and we follow Quinn as she tries to work out exactly what happened.
We are led to believe that Quinn has some mystical connection to The Deeps, the spirits living in the ocean. She spends the book trying to work out (as most logically think) whether she could have been raped but becomes more and more drawn to this otherworldly suggestion.
There were some wonderful passages within the book, and Quinn herself was an interesting character. Unfortunately, there were a lot of characters within the story - some of whom were not really relevant to events - and some aspects of it were awfully slow. I felt the suggested answer could have come sooner, and the lack of engagement from her father regarding this suggested the author wasn't totally sure how to present the idea in a wholly convincing manner.
May 26, 2017
3.5 stars
This was a beautifully written book that I just didn't enjoy very much. I'm afraid that I found the plot really hard to follow. I'm usually a huge fan of magical realism, and while this had all the trappings of a good magical realism story, I just didn't really get what was going on. The twist is WEIRD. It didn't really feel magical... it felt contrived and more than a little terrifying. I would not be okay if that happened to me. I truthfully wanted to love this book, and I do think the prose was quite lovely, but the storyline itself just didn't connect for me.
This was a beautifully written book that I just didn't enjoy very much. I'm afraid that I found the plot really hard to follow. I'm usually a huge fan of magical realism, and while this had all the trappings of a good magical realism story, I just didn't really get what was going on. The twist is WEIRD. It didn't really feel magical... it felt contrived and more than a little terrifying. I would not be okay if that happened to me. I truthfully wanted to love this book, and I do think the prose was quite lovely, but the storyline itself just didn't connect for me.
December 4, 2016
Complicated and twisty. Requires some suspension of belief, but also challenges readers to think about issues not often dealt with in YA. Quinn works because her vulnerability and confusion about her circumstances are believable.
Some lovely writing.
Some lovely writing.
May 22, 2017
I was hooked but Idk what I expected? The ending was very disappointing.
Read
April 11, 2017DNFing this one. The writing is well done, but the premise is not working for me. The way her family and boyfriend are reacting to this pregnancy out of nowhere is just unrealistic to me. Then I started wondering how it happened. Like, is she a mermaid or something? That's the only thing I could come up with because there kept being references to the ocean and water.
So I looked ahead because I was already considering reading something else. And the ending is juuuussssstttttt ridiculous. I don't want to spoil it, but NO. Just so silly. I actually don't see a single reader liking it or falling for it, and that's a first for me.
So yeah, I won't be finishing this anytime soon. Thank you though to Abrams for sending this to me.
So I looked ahead because I was already considering reading something else. And the ending is juuuussssstttttt ridiculous. I don't want to spoil it, but NO. Just so silly. I actually don't see a single reader liking it or falling for it, and that's a first for me.
So yeah, I won't be finishing this anytime soon. Thank you though to Abrams for sending this to me.
December 29, 2023
weird, but not in a good way
June 14, 2017
4.965821 stars
I really liked this!
I really like Quinn and Jesse. They are somewhat of an average 16yr old couple, but without becoming a stereotypical MTV 16 and pregnant couple. I think they both deal with the situation in a very realistic and mature manner. It is really nice to see young and pregnant being portrayed in a positive light. They are both very sweet, even I smiled at their relationship! shock
I also really liked Lydia (Quinn's younger sister). There were many moments throughout when I was internally screaming "Will someone please just listen to Lydia!!".
Gabe (Quinn's father), on the other hand, well... hmmm... so... Well, I'll just say it - Gabe is a prat. Gabe is a bad father. I understand he is just trying to protect his daughter, but you do that by talking to her, engaging her in honest conversations, recognising her intellect and empowering her to explore the world and make informed decisions. Gabe essentially just made Quinn a prisoner, treated her like a pathetic child, refused her of her basic human rights and thought that by calling her 'little' every now and then made it all alright. It doesn't make it alright Gabe. The way Gabe consistently dismisses all of his children and their opinions because they either don't agree with his view of the world, or because he is too busy on his phone, really, REALLY irritated me. Piss of Gabe.
Deep breath.
Anyway, to counteract my irritation of Gabe, the story is wonderfully written. It's less of a story with hard facts, answers and conclusions and more of one that plants a seed of an idea, and then leaves it up to the reader to decide what they want to be true. I've read some reviews where people find that frustrating, but I LOVE it. I was very happy with the ending. So much so, that I am completely book drunk with this and feel I need to sit on a beach, occasionally dipping my feet in the ocean, to sober up.
I really liked this!
I really like Quinn and Jesse. They are somewhat of an average 16yr old couple, but without becoming a stereotypical MTV 16 and pregnant couple. I think they both deal with the situation in a very realistic and mature manner. It is really nice to see young and pregnant being portrayed in a positive light. They are both very sweet, even I smiled at their relationship! shock
I also really liked Lydia (Quinn's younger sister). There were many moments throughout when I was internally screaming "Will someone please just listen to Lydia!!".
Gabe (Quinn's father), on the other hand, well... hmmm... so... Well, I'll just say it - Gabe is a prat. Gabe is a bad father. I understand he is just trying to protect his daughter, but you do that by talking to her, engaging her in honest conversations, recognising her intellect and empowering her to explore the world and make informed decisions. Gabe essentially just made Quinn a prisoner, treated her like a pathetic child, refused her of her basic human rights and thought that by calling her 'little' every now and then made it all alright. It doesn't make it alright Gabe. The way Gabe consistently dismisses all of his children and their opinions because they either don't agree with his view of the world, or because he is too busy on his phone, really, REALLY irritated me. Piss of Gabe.
Deep breath.
Anyway, to counteract my irritation of Gabe, the story is wonderfully written. It's less of a story with hard facts, answers and conclusions and more of one that plants a seed of an idea, and then leaves it up to the reader to decide what they want to be true. I've read some reviews where people find that frustrating, but I LOVE it. I was very happy with the ending. So much so, that I am completely book drunk with this and feel I need to sit on a beach, occasionally dipping my feet in the ocean, to sober up.
April 18, 2017
I received a free copy of this book from Amulet/Abrams&Chronicle in exchange for an honest review.
Quinn Cutler is 16 years old when she discovers that she is pregnant. The thing is, Quinn has never had sex or done anything close to it so has to try and figure out the missing pieces of her virgin pregnancy. As the story breaks, Quinn is soon inundated with crazed fans who think she is carrying the next Messiah. Quinn has to figure out if she is blocking out something terrible that happened to her, resulting in a pregnancy, or if she could have actually had an immaculate conception.
This book is quite sweet and fun, despite the rather heavy topic of Quinn's pregnancy. The story starts more or less straight away with Quinn finding out about the pregnancy within the first few chapters and I liked that there wasn't a big build up to the story. I liked Quinn's family for the most part, especially her mom who immediately becomes very present in her life when the pregnancy is revealed. I also really enjoyed reading about Quinn's boyfriend Jesse and how supportive he is of her, even when some things are revealed that make him upset.
I liked the theme of the magical realism in this book though it was hard to figure out if it was magic or if Quinn was a bit messed up. Because she definitely seemed a bit odd at times. Even though Quinn is quite sweet, after a while I felt a dark undertone of the book that made me uneasy. I wasn't sure if the book would end up being magical or if it would turn out that Quinn had been hurt and blocked it out which was just such an upsetting thought. So that definitely made me feel uneasy for a lot of the second half of the book.
Overall, I did like the story but I was missing a connection to it and the characters so I gave it a three star rather than a four star.
Quinn Cutler is 16 years old when she discovers that she is pregnant. The thing is, Quinn has never had sex or done anything close to it so has to try and figure out the missing pieces of her virgin pregnancy. As the story breaks, Quinn is soon inundated with crazed fans who think she is carrying the next Messiah. Quinn has to figure out if she is blocking out something terrible that happened to her, resulting in a pregnancy, or if she could have actually had an immaculate conception.
This book is quite sweet and fun, despite the rather heavy topic of Quinn's pregnancy. The story starts more or less straight away with Quinn finding out about the pregnancy within the first few chapters and I liked that there wasn't a big build up to the story. I liked Quinn's family for the most part, especially her mom who immediately becomes very present in her life when the pregnancy is revealed. I also really enjoyed reading about Quinn's boyfriend Jesse and how supportive he is of her, even when some things are revealed that make him upset.
I liked the theme of the magical realism in this book though it was hard to figure out if it was magic or if Quinn was a bit messed up. Because she definitely seemed a bit odd at times. Even though Quinn is quite sweet, after a while I felt a dark undertone of the book that made me uneasy. I wasn't sure if the book would end up being magical or if it would turn out that Quinn had been hurt and blocked it out which was just such an upsetting thought. So that definitely made me feel uneasy for a lot of the second half of the book.
Overall, I did like the story but I was missing a connection to it and the characters so I gave it a three star rather than a four star.
March 24, 2017
Marianna Baer’s THE INCONCEIVABLE LIFE OF QUINN is a unique and unusual story of a girl who discovers she is pregnant, but has no recollection of how, when, or with whom it might have happened. Mainly told from her point of view, but with a number of brief chapters from several others in Quinn’s life, she attempts to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Her search for answers takes her down strange, disturbing, disquieting paths, but also those that are beautiful and magical and filled with wonder. All of which make for a different and haunting and thoroughly engaging read.
The daughter of a politician that turns up pregnant is enough to make headlines. But when it’s uncovered that she claims to be a virgin, the story explodes. Some believe she’s a liar. Some assume she’s covering up a traumatic event. And some believe she’s carrying the next messiah.
Having no memory of the conception, Quinn doesn’t know what to believe. Could she have forgotten a romantic night with her boyfriend Jesse? Could she have blocked out a violent attack from a stranger or someone she knows? Could she have been drugged? Could she be going crazy? Could there have been magical, mystical, or supernatural forces at work? Or could a higher power have bestowed her with a gift?
Her friends think she’s keeping secrets. Her family thinks she’s either lying, deluded, or unhinged. Her therapist wants Quinn to discover the truth by herself. The media loves having a juicy bit of gossip. The religious fanatics just want a piece of her.
And until she can solve the mystery, anything is possible.
Marianna Baer has created a story that has both elements of reality and of myth. She touches upon several real-life issues from unplanned teen pregnancy and the choices that follow, to dysfunctional families, to faith, religion, and zealotry, to mental health and wellness, to sexual assault, to the destructive influence of the media. And she balances this with the possibility of something elemental, spiritual, mythical, otherworldly.
THE INCONCEIVABLE LIFE OF QUINN gives you a lot to think about and invites you to come to your own conclusion. It is a curious, compelling, and rather marvelous tale of a girl whose life is most definitely inconceivable.
Original GR comments...
Loved this book though am still processing it. It was unusual and very unique in its approach. Haunting quality to the writing. More reality than fantasy in the mix. Lots of real-life issues. Definitely much to think about - religion, faith, the influence of the media, psychological components, family, friends. Quinn was a sympathetic character but not an easily relatable or trustworthy one. The mystery aspect definitely kept me wondering what was the truth throughout the read.
Review TK.
The daughter of a politician that turns up pregnant is enough to make headlines. But when it’s uncovered that she claims to be a virgin, the story explodes. Some believe she’s a liar. Some assume she’s covering up a traumatic event. And some believe she’s carrying the next messiah.
Having no memory of the conception, Quinn doesn’t know what to believe. Could she have forgotten a romantic night with her boyfriend Jesse? Could she have blocked out a violent attack from a stranger or someone she knows? Could she have been drugged? Could she be going crazy? Could there have been magical, mystical, or supernatural forces at work? Or could a higher power have bestowed her with a gift?
Her friends think she’s keeping secrets. Her family thinks she’s either lying, deluded, or unhinged. Her therapist wants Quinn to discover the truth by herself. The media loves having a juicy bit of gossip. The religious fanatics just want a piece of her.
And until she can solve the mystery, anything is possible.
Marianna Baer has created a story that has both elements of reality and of myth. She touches upon several real-life issues from unplanned teen pregnancy and the choices that follow, to dysfunctional families, to faith, religion, and zealotry, to mental health and wellness, to sexual assault, to the destructive influence of the media. And she balances this with the possibility of something elemental, spiritual, mythical, otherworldly.
THE INCONCEIVABLE LIFE OF QUINN gives you a lot to think about and invites you to come to your own conclusion. It is a curious, compelling, and rather marvelous tale of a girl whose life is most definitely inconceivable.
Original GR comments...
Loved this book though am still processing it. It was unusual and very unique in its approach. Haunting quality to the writing. More reality than fantasy in the mix. Lots of real-life issues. Definitely much to think about - religion, faith, the influence of the media, psychological components, family, friends. Quinn was a sympathetic character but not an easily relatable or trustworthy one. The mystery aspect definitely kept me wondering what was the truth throughout the read.
Review TK.
April 20, 2017
I picked this up on a whim because the cover caught my eye when it came in the mail and then the blurb seemed intriguing. It is not my usual kind of book, but lately I've been going outside of my comfort zone a bit and trying new things in hopes to find something to wow me. This wasn't it.THE INCONCEIVABLE LIFE OF QUINN is a story about a sixteen year old daughter of a New York politician who finds out she's pregnant. The odd thing is she swears she's a virgin and doesn't remember any moment where things could've gotten anywhere close for a pregnancy to have happened. From here she has to reconstruct the window of time the doctors are giving her of the possible conception date and there are definitely weird things that happened that need answers.
I will say this. This story kept me interested in finding out the outcome to this mystery. But the characters didn't hold my interest enough to care about them. So while I wanted to get to the end to see what it would all be about, I wasn't invested in that outcome one way or another. I liked the fact that this book also has magical realism in it, but I don't think it was done in any way that swept me off my feet like I've seen done by Sarah Addison Allen for example.
Once we get to the ending, we do "sort of" find out what happened. It's never 100% spelled out and it's left to be implied. I'm not sure I liked that, it was a bit too open ended how it was written for my taste. Like we know what happened, but maybe we don't? A bit disappointing but at least it held my interest enough to finish reading it.
*ARC provided by publisher
Reviewed by Francesca❤ ♡ Don't want to miss any of our posts? Subscribe to our blog by email! ♡ ❤
August 6, 2017
THE INCONCEIVABLE LIFE OF QUINN has to be the most interesting and original story I've read all year. It follows Quinn, a teenager who discovers she's pregnant, even though she's never had sex before. So, the answer Quinn and her family are searching for is how?
Even with her predicament, all Quinn wants to do is carry on with her life as normally as possible, but it's hard to do when everyone is judging her. Relationships become strained with her friends and boyfriend because Quinn doesn't have the answers they're looking for. Of course everyone's go-to is that she's lying about everything, but Quinn truly has no idea what happened to her.
With her dad running for Congress, word about her pregnancy gets out quickly and gets blown over-the-top, as you can expect the media to do. While the beginning is a little slow, the author still keeps you turning page by page to discover the truth behind Quinn's pregnancy.
The bullying Quinn faces at school and at home (from other people harassing her, not her family) is so sad to see and it's probably how others in her shoes feel. Those girls may relate to this story a bit. One thing that I loved was that even thought Quinn and her dad's relationship isn't perfect, her parents and brother wanted to do everything they could to help her and it was so refreshing to see the family coming together rather than breaking apart.
Final Verdict: Initially, I was worried this was only going to be a typical repressed memory story, but there is so much more to it. I would recommend this to fans of myths, legends, finding yourself, and YA contemporary.
Even with her predicament, all Quinn wants to do is carry on with her life as normally as possible, but it's hard to do when everyone is judging her. Relationships become strained with her friends and boyfriend because Quinn doesn't have the answers they're looking for. Of course everyone's go-to is that she's lying about everything, but Quinn truly has no idea what happened to her.
With her dad running for Congress, word about her pregnancy gets out quickly and gets blown over-the-top, as you can expect the media to do. While the beginning is a little slow, the author still keeps you turning page by page to discover the truth behind Quinn's pregnancy.
The bullying Quinn faces at school and at home (from other people harassing her, not her family) is so sad to see and it's probably how others in her shoes feel. Those girls may relate to this story a bit. One thing that I loved was that even thought Quinn and her dad's relationship isn't perfect, her parents and brother wanted to do everything they could to help her and it was so refreshing to see the family coming together rather than breaking apart.
Final Verdict: Initially, I was worried this was only going to be a typical repressed memory story, but there is so much more to it. I would recommend this to fans of myths, legends, finding yourself, and YA contemporary.
June 8, 2017
If I had known that this book was magical realism, I probably would have stayed away. I feel especially cheated because the fantasy part of the story wasn't introduced until waaaaay into the story, so I was already committed. I wanted to know what happened. Well, spoiler alert - that's where the magical part comes in. So all the answers I hoped to get? Were all explained with ~magic.
I was so interested in this premise. It sounded like such a great book, rich with mystery and self-discovery. A teenage virgin is pregnant! Ugh, that's the stuff of real-life nightmares, but it would make for such a great read. But nope. Even without the fantasy parts, the book still dragged, seeming to go around in circles, taking forever to make a point. The characters weren't anything great, and I didn't particularly care for Quinn.
I probably would have given up around the halfway point (or earlier) if I wasn't so interested to find out how Quinn got pregnant. I mean heck, I'd still like to know! But nope, ~magic.
I was so interested in this premise. It sounded like such a great book, rich with mystery and self-discovery. A teenage virgin is pregnant! Ugh, that's the stuff of real-life nightmares, but it would make for such a great read. But nope. Even without the fantasy parts, the book still dragged, seeming to go around in circles, taking forever to make a point. The characters weren't anything great, and I didn't particularly care for Quinn.
I probably would have given up around the halfway point (or earlier) if I wasn't so interested to find out how Quinn got pregnant. I mean heck, I'd still like to know! But nope, ~magic.
January 12, 2018
There is a lot interesting stuff going on in this book—but at times too much and at times not enough. The book picks up pace in the last third, but before that there’s a lot of repetition that doesn’t feel fruitful. I wish that the novel’s central revelations had felt more meaningfully entwined with the other issues the novel raises. I also wondered why we had certain characters or plot points at all. Overall the book’s premise is really compelling, but the book’s major revelations felt somewhat underbaked for me. probably closer to 2.5 than 3 stars
June 2, 2017
Um, wow. That was like way beyond weird. Way too redundant about how and why she got pregnant. That could have been condensed by about 100 less pages. And the whole magical realism part of this was just way beyond. I mean, I love magical realism, but this was just like so far out there. And then to have all these other perspectives that had all these loose ends when the book is finished. Like why even? What a waste. Too bad because that cover is just gorgeous.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 5, 2017
I'd rate it 3.5. This lacked that shine of a true 4-star. On the other hand, this is in no way an ordinary YA.
Quinn is your everyday teenager, who has finally turned the crush on Jesse her best friend into a full-on relationship, and now is afraid to lose him. She has no idea how she got pregnant when the two still haven't gone far. Could it have been a suppressed trauma? Or are the fanatics right and her virgin pregnancy really doesn't have a natural cause? By the way, this isn't a religious story.
The book is mainly from Quinn's point of view, with occasional minichapters featuring other characters. And I enjoyed the resource, especially when they were one of the followers. The biggest waste about this story was not going crazy enough when they had such a plot but during those few chapters the author dared more, making the plot more unique. Unfortunately, the author didn't always seem as comfortable to run free. Although the overall result is still something different, she always kept a calm approach, which made you wonder until almost the ending if the answer to Quinn's predicament is supernatural or psychological.
Even so carefully written, the book wasn't free of plot holes. The one that bothered me the most was her doctor not checking whether she was really a virgin. Considering how fundamental that question was, couldn't they have done it? Of course, tests like that aren't definite but at least they would have tried.
Now character-wise, we have many here. I confess I wasn't too into them in the beginning but they really grew as I kept going. my favorite is still her little sister, Lydia. I wish she had participated even more—any chance of a spin-off? Quinn is very confused, of course, but I liked the way she thought. Poor girl...
It seems her father was the most polemical and I kept wondering how far he would go but was he really that bad? He did everything to protect her in some irrational, exaggerated manner, but I couldn't hate him in the end. For one, had she followed his instructions nothing would have happened, and also he did show regret for his bad choices. Moreover, all he had suffered with his mother allowed me to understand his frantic ways. I wish the whole family had reacted better but it wasn't that bad. To be honest, it felt realistic.
Now Jesse, her boyfriend, made me feel iffy about him to the end. Still, while I wouldn't say he's the ideal book boyfriend, he did have his moments. I loved how he'd agree to helping Quinn at all times. I wish I had felt more attracted to him but he fared better than I was sure he would considering how his own girlfriend ended up inexplicably pregnant.
Overall, this book needed to have gone beyond. Despite preferring to take itself too seriously, the story was sweet. You have a family with problems, magical creatures, myths, secrets... Also, there were scenes so well described I could feel them in me. This is a book I won't forget anytime soon, and it came with a great lesson on believing.
Review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. I want to also thank the publisher for giving me this opportunity.
Quinn is your everyday teenager, who has finally turned the crush on Jesse her best friend into a full-on relationship, and now is afraid to lose him. She has no idea how she got pregnant when the two still haven't gone far. Could it have been a suppressed trauma? Or are the fanatics right and her virgin pregnancy really doesn't have a natural cause? By the way, this isn't a religious story.
The book is mainly from Quinn's point of view, with occasional minichapters featuring other characters. And I enjoyed the resource, especially when they were one of the followers. The biggest waste about this story was not going crazy enough when they had such a plot but during those few chapters the author dared more, making the plot more unique. Unfortunately, the author didn't always seem as comfortable to run free. Although the overall result is still something different, she always kept a calm approach, which made you wonder until almost the ending if the answer to Quinn's predicament is supernatural or psychological.
Even so carefully written, the book wasn't free of plot holes. The one that bothered me the most was her doctor not checking whether she was really a virgin. Considering how fundamental that question was, couldn't they have done it? Of course, tests like that aren't definite but at least they would have tried.
Now character-wise, we have many here. I confess I wasn't too into them in the beginning but they really grew as I kept going. my favorite is still her little sister, Lydia. I wish she had participated even more—any chance of a spin-off? Quinn is very confused, of course, but I liked the way she thought. Poor girl...
It seems her father was the most polemical and I kept wondering how far he would go but was he really that bad? He did everything to protect her in some irrational, exaggerated manner, but I couldn't hate him in the end. For one, had she followed his instructions nothing would have happened, and also he did show regret for his bad choices. Moreover, all he had suffered with his mother allowed me to understand his frantic ways. I wish the whole family had reacted better but it wasn't that bad. To be honest, it felt realistic.
Now Jesse, her boyfriend, made me feel iffy about him to the end. Still, while I wouldn't say he's the ideal book boyfriend, he did have his moments. I loved how he'd agree to helping Quinn at all times. I wish I had felt more attracted to him but he fared better than I was sure he would considering how his own girlfriend ended up inexplicably pregnant.
Overall, this book needed to have gone beyond. Despite preferring to take itself too seriously, the story was sweet. You have a family with problems, magical creatures, myths, secrets... Also, there were scenes so well described I could feel them in me. This is a book I won't forget anytime soon, and it came with a great lesson on believing.
Review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. I want to also thank the publisher for giving me this opportunity.
December 9, 2017
Um, wow. Wow wow wow. That was absolutely captivating. I don’t even know how to describe it. Baer has such a unique writing style and the story was so whimsical.... it was definitely “out there”. I’ll be thinking abut this for a while.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews